Fields of education, gender and the labour market

Fields of education, gender and the labour market



The choice of field of education is rooted in the educational and personal experiences people have prior to reaching tertiary education. The acute gender segregation that is observed in some fields of education is likely to pave the way for grave imbalances in the labour market performance of men and women. Education fields with a larger share of women are typically associated with lower employment rates and lower earnings. However, even within the same field of education, employment rates and earnings are generally higher for men than for women. Inclusive labour markets and societies can only be achieved through long-term comprehensive and concerted actions.

Attainment and labour market outcomes among young tertiary graduates

Among 25-34 year-olds with a tertiary degree, the proportion of those who obtained at least amaster’s or equivalent degree varies from 4% in Chile to 79% in the Slovak Republic. 

Among 25-34 year-olds with a tertiary degree, the proportion of those who obtained at least a master’s or equivalent degree varies from 4% in Chile to 79% in the Slovak Republic. Tertiary attainment also varies across generations: while 49% of tertiary-educated 25-34 year-olds have a bachelor’s or equivalent degree as their highest educational attainment, this falls to 39% among 55-64 year-olds. Employment prospects tend to improve with tertiary attainment levels: the average employment rate of 25-34 year-olds with a doctorate is 88%, for those with a master’s or equivalent degree it is 84% and for those with at most a short-cycle or a bachelor’s degree it is around 80%. In some countries, however, increased tertiary attainment is not associated with improved employment prospects among 25-34 year-olds, except for doctorate holders. In other countries, short-cycle tertiary graduates are more likely to be employed than those with a bachelor’s degree.



Educational reforms are often grounded in a predominantly supply-side approach; and governments and higher education institutions often expect labour markets to adjust easily to these reforms. But in order to safeguard the future of young people it is much more important to look at the interaction between the supply and demand sides. In order to co-ordinate the acquisition of skills and qualifications with the exigencies of jobs and workplace needs, education and labour market stakeholders need to work together. In most countries, a well-balanced supply of bachelor’s and master’s degrees now seems to be in place, and that’s a major achievement. In these countries, the bachelor’s degree is now a well-established level of tertiary qualification, providing access to jobs and professions. But in a large group of countries, better policies are needed for both sides of the equation to match the supply with the demand for skills and qualifications.

Reducing class size or increasing teachers’ salaries

What is the  ideal class size? Is smaller necessarily better?

 Apart from optimising public resources, reducing class size to increase student achievement is an approach that has been tried, debated, and analysed for several decades. Some countries like Finland favour smaller class sizes (20 students of fewer) and are among the most successful countries in the PISA study. However, other countries like Korea have much bigger classes (34 students and over) but also feature at the top of the PISA ranking. What other variables than class size may explain the success of countries like Korea?

 Findings from the OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) suggest that systems prioritising higher teacher salaries over smaller classes tend to perform better, which confirms research showing that raising teacher quality is a more effective measure to improve student outcomes.

 Education indicators in focus

 In a period of economic crisis and tightened public budgets, while analyses
of OECD data do not establish a significant relationship between spending per student and
average learning outcomes across countries, PISA data shows that high‑performing education
systems are commonly prioritising the quality of teachers over class size.